Published: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 8:55 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 8:55 p.m.

Safety and security were discussed extensively at a Wilmington Housing Authority meeting held Monday at Creekwood South, a public housing complex that has been plagued by violence recently.

Facts

NEW RULESA summary of the new rules the board that oversees the Wilmington Housing Authority approved Monday.Residents must limit the number of guests to eightResidents under the age of 18 must comply with curfewVehicles on WHA property with no parking pass will be towed Residents cannot smoke inside WHA buildings/apartments

The board that oversees the authority approved new security policies, the first wave of a formal effort to crack down on criminals, many of whom do not live in public housing, officials have said.

At times, tensions ran high at the meeting, which drew residents and representatives from the Wilmington Police Department. Multiple Creekwood residents spoke about safety concerns before the authority's board of commissioners.

"I'm to the point now where I want to leave Creekwood because I feel like my kids are not safe," said Allameshia Tiesmon.

Sonya Muldrow said break-ins prompted her to stay in a relative's home. "I really, really want to move," she said. "You should have a peace of mind where you live at."

Glendora Mullins, the president of Creekwood's resident organization, said she, too, had concerns about crime in the community.

During the meeting, board member Arcelia Wicker said the housing authority has new initiatives designed to address escalating crime. "What I ask of you is to be a little patient," Wicker said.

Top brass from the Wilmington Police Department spoke at the meeting to overview how law enforcement is responding to rising violence. The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office has committed to add seven deputies to the WPD's seven-officer unit that patrols public housing complexes.

"We'll be out here more and in all housing areas more," said Deputy Chief Marshall Williamson, who added that ramped-up presence will be mobilized next week. "I want to assure you that the men and women of this police department want to make every resident in every area of this city as safe and secure as possible," Williamson said. A new WPD gang unit is also in the works to address violence Creekwood residents have experienced, said Deputy Chief Mitch Cunningham.

On Oct. 10, a county sheriff's detective was shot in Creekwood. The alleged shooter was later killed by law enforcement officials. The shooting of the detective in Creekwood followed a rash of other shootings in the community.

On Monday, the authority board discussed the WPD's ShotSpotter techonology, which uses a series of acoustic sensors to triangulate the location of gunfire with near-pinpoint accuracy. The board voted unanimously to pursue funding the expansion of ShotSpotter technology to cover all its housing sites.

Vernice Hamilton, the authority's interim CEO, said she thinks the authority has identified funding for the first year.

Hamilton also revealed the authority is working with the city to study altering the traffic patterns in Creekwood, which is between Market Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Officials are exploring closing some streets so there are fewer ways in and out of Creekwood.

Board member Deb Hays said there has been discussion of installing barricades or gate arms that were shut at certain hours, a notion board member Alfredia McDonald compared to "caging everybody in."

"No," shot back Jeff Hovis, the board chairman. "No, I'm not going to go your negative way. That is totally an inappropriate way of talking."

Raising her voice, McDonald said it was not inappropriate or negative, and questioned why only Hovis and Hays seemed to be aware of the proposal.

WPD Sgt. M. Ingram said the proposal to gate streets is designed to make it uncomfortable for criminals.

"When we come in here, there's lots of ways for criminals to go," he said. "It's not to box you in."

Also Monday, the authority voted unanimously to approve several new rules for residents, some of them aimed at increasing safety.

Under the new rules: Residents are not allowed to have more than eight visitors at their homes at a time unless they have a special event permit. The permit application must include the purpose of the visit and the number of visitors, as well as their names, addresses and phone numbers.

Residents must have a parking sticker on their vehicles to park on housing authority property. Guests can apply for a guest pass for overnight visits or to park for multiple days. Vehicles without stickers could be towed at the owner's expense.

Residents under the age of 18 must abide a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The curfew means children and teens must be in their homes during those hours, as the curfew also applies to common areas such as playgrounds and parking lots. The curfew has exceptions. Children and teens would not be found in violation of the curfew if they were with a parent/guardian or if they were returning from home, school, church or work.

Smoking is banned in housing authority units, although it will be permitted outside of the buildings. To enforce the ban, authority staff members will regularly inspect the units. If smoke odors or signs of smoking are discovered, the area will be professionally cleaned and the resident will be billed the cost.